My shoes, they seem to be my only home.

From Julian Casablancas' (the Strokes) Phrazes for the Young. Sonically, this reminds me a little of another love of mine, Rufus Wainwright ala his debut album, albeit electronica-ed. Phrazes for the Young is not what I expected for the Strokes' frontman's solo project but it's a great listen, very bounce-around-the-room-ish. Go listen.

the New York post.

No, not that post. My post! I took a trip to the Big Apple last weekend and wanted to catalogue some of the sights here.

First up: the windows at Bergdorf-Goodman. They came in 1st place in the arbitrary holiday window contest in the city, followed by Macy's and Barney's. It was really no competition at all. The winning windows were like the glory of Anthropologie on a massive scale, and I photographed all of them (and got screamed at by a man on the sidewalk while doing so, meh).






Another great spot was the Chelsea Market (hard to find, since any signage on the building is completely obscured by scaffolding, but well worth the expedition). It's a former Nabisco factory turned foodie market--think little bakeries and wine shops--not to mention a great spot for buying gifts, thanks to the indie Christmas market.


And what would a Christmas post be without a tree? I saw the tree at Rockefeller Center but I thought it was nothing compared to this--

--which gets its magical sparkle from broken compact discs. It's part of the market's eco-art display for the holidays (which also includes chandeliers made from disposable plastic cups). Here's a close-up of the CDs.


In tomorrow's post: Brighton Beach and Coney Island.

::peers around corner::

So, I sort of deserted my good intentions to return to blogging full-force, because of the previously described NaNoWriMo adventure. But. I did it! 50,000 words in 30 days. The novel isn't finished yet, but it's definitely getting there.

In other news: my mother & I cut apart a pomegranate the other day. Just to see. It was...weird. And after the cutting took place, we had a "now what?" sort of movement because, it turns out, dealing with a pomegranate is not exactly intuitive. In the end we decided to freeze the seeds and make ice cream with them later but I'm open to suggestions. Go!

Get out the map.

As evidenced by the image in the sidebar, I am participating in National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo. I'm writing a mystery, because writing a mystery novel is a blast and I recommend it to everyone I know. Hey, you: try writing a mystery novel. Too much fun, I tell you. Anyway, my mystery is once again set in Brooklyn, always a favorite place of mine to visit. No matter how many times I visit, though, I still occasionally need to refer to a map so that my orientation of neighborhoods is correct. I usually just Google "map of Brooklyn neighborhoods" and use the first result that pops up, until I found this animal. So cute and suitable for framing that I might just need to buy it and put it on the wall instead of relying on Google Maps for my authentication purposes.

Well, hello there.

I want to share this lovely image, which I find hopeful and compelling. By Jocelyn Nevel, whom Claire & I met last night at a Wild Goose wine tasting.

But anyway: I'm not all that thrilled about the way 2009 has turned out. There, I said it. But, it's now November and after a month or so of sulking about recent loss of job and other displeasing life circumstances, I'm determined to eek out the rest of the year with as much positivity as I can muster. And to that end, out of my half-lit apartment and back to observing the world.

Then the house burned down so fast.

Company of Thieves, live with an acoustic version of "The Fire Song." The whole CD is $5.99 on iTunes at the moment and I love it. The CD includes a lovely string-arranged acoustic version in addition to the "plugged in" one and I actually wanted to post that--cellos, yum. I couldn't find it anywhere though, but I did find this one. Anyway, curses to CD101's SummerFest being sold out a couple weeks ago, because they played there and I wish I had seen it.

Birds all sing as if they knew.

Ellie Greenwich, October 23, 1940 – August 26, 2009. Legendary co-writer of numerous pop songs from the '60s, when it was rare for a woman to be on the behind-the-scenes end of the music business, and much more rare for a woman to succeed there. And by "legendary," I mean legendary. Ms. Greenwich penned tunes such as "Chapel of Love," "Leader of the Pack," "River Deep - Mountain High," and so on. As a performer, she was the lead-and-background singer of the "girl group" The Raindrops, a duo made up of Ellie and her husband/songwriting partner, even though the group allegedly featured two females--album artwork featured a photo of Ellie's sister Laura, who otherwise had nothing to do with the band. On the rare occasion of public performances, Laura appeared onstage but merely lip-synched into a dead microphone. Ellie Greenwich was also credited with the discovery of Neil Diamond, and even provided background vocals on a number of his songs. Even if '60s pop music isn't your thang, you have to admire the sheer volume of her body of work, and the fact that she made a name for herself in a boys' club like the record industry of 40-some years ago. RIP.

Did I ever tell you how lucky you are?

I had a dream last night that I got a Dr. Seuss tattoo, and I woke up thinking that this was a very interesting idea--I am a big Dr. Seuss enthusiast, maybe that explains things. Maybe not. But anyway, in case you're a fan too, I wanted to share this, Who's Who & What's What, a 157-page "directory" of Dr. Seuss characters with descriptions. No images, but still very interesting reading. This was compiled by someone at Dartmouth, and it's possible that person is my soulmate.

Empty walls.

Another new apartment means more empty walls I need to fill. This would do nicely, I think.

And, from the same shop, this. I collect fortune cookie fortunes and I always get excited by related art projects / themes. The shop in question is Lucky Bluebird Art and it makes me so, so happy, something I dearly needed today.

A little shameless self-promotion never hurt anybody.

Very excited about the opportunity to play at Java Central -- many thanks to Ralph there for having us. The show is Labor Day weekend, so if you aren't at a cookout you should come & listen. 

In the middle of the night, everybody loves everybody.

"Take Off Your Sunglasses" by Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, who opened for Ida Maria tonight at the Basement. I'd never heard them before, and I like what I heard. The Basement, though, turns out to be the worst place ever to see a show. There are very few good places to stand because it is an actual basement, meaning there are support pillars all over the place, and they block the view of the teeny tiny stage, especially if you are a rocknroll kid and you are standing up close, next to the speakers. Then your view is obscured by the pillars AND the speakers, and you go home totally deaf. Yup.



In lieu of a craptastic cell phone camera picture (I have it here, but some tall kid's striped hooded sweatshirt is taking up most of it, and the aforementioned speaker is taking up the rest), enjoy Ida Maria here in a non-deaf-making acoustic recording.

I, for one, can't wait.

...but I'll have to, at least until Christmas day, for the new Sherlock Holmes movie. I am a hardcore Sherlock Holmes enthusiast already (the lit, of course, and also the old BBC show starring Jeremy Brett = perfection), and I love it when my very favorite things are thrown into the spotlight for everyone to enjoy. However, I have a bit of a complaint already. That gravely voice you hear at the beginning of this trailer? That's Mark Strong, a British character actor you might not know by name, and who absolutely should have been cast in the lead of this movie. tHe would have made the best Sherlock Holmes ever--maybe even giving the Jeremy Brett incarnation a run for his money.

(You've probably seen Mark Strong before, and often: Stardust, RocknRolla, Body of Lies, to name a few. And, yes, I'm a little bit in love with him. What?)

Blog love.

red nails; wrong city is the most breathtakingly gorgeous photo blog ever.

The whole night.

I don't really have any place to wear a dress like this, but I think its general fabulousness might somehow lead to invitations. How much fun is this? By Glamarita.

Out the way.

Columbus band Bird & Flower.

Rawr.

My cat, lounging on me while I attempt to read Milan Kundera. I know, this doesn't really belong on my blog. Then again, it's my blog, so.

God don't make lonely girls.

So this evening I relived my high school glory days via a pretty fantastic show at the Newport: the Wallflowers. $20 (well, plus $5 for a single Stella Artois and $10 for a cd...see below on that) is definitely a fair price for 90 minutes of Jakob Dylan-led rock n roll, I always say. And, yes, I was totally one of those people who whipped out her cell phone to take a picture--what? What?

Anyway, an added bonus to the evening was the opening act--a stylish lady named Serena Ryder, who totally blew my mind. I excitedly bought a cd from her and I do love it, although I was hoping it would be an acoustic recording she has a band here though, honestly, she doesn't need one. She played solo tonight and rocked the house.



And, lastly, since I'm talking about music: I'm playing on Saturday's Gallery Hop, outside L'Antibes at 772 N. High Street. Come listen!

Slacking no more.

Many apologies to my wide body of readers (hi, Claire) for the fortnight of No Posting. But I'm back! My new plaid dress has inspired me to rejoin the world. Anyway, I know chandeliers are crazy hot right now, inexplicably on everything, everything (like ALL the mod girly home dec stuff at Target, even the things that it makes no sense for them to be on--ESPECIALLY on the things it makes no sense to be on.) But that doesn't mean I love them any less. And this print is a particularly fun example. I love the feathery, eyelash-y details and, of course, the pinkness. Check out Eva Vaughan for more.

I feed my habits daily.

This is an original song by Tracy Cupitt, musician and artist who blogs at Gingerhoneycat. I am so happy to have discovered this song. The melody and music on the line "different as I may be" is going to haunt me all day, I do believe.

Looking at stars.

Thanks to Rebecca and her lovely blog Dog-eared, I discovered this today: a huge collection of astronomy-related photos taken by the experts themselves--NASA. The photo archive goes back 14 years (yep. 1995.) and features a new image every day. Some are diagrams, some are video, some are breathtaking shots of good old Earth, and some are so lovely that it's genuinely hard to believe sometimes that these things exist on their own.

14 years, 1 photo every day. That should keep me busy for a while.

The city.

I'm blogging from New York City at the moment, just to say I did. The above photo is from a different city--Rome. Check out Study for more gorgeous experimental images (this one's from a Lomo Diana.)

Get out the map

So, I have a thing for cufflinks. Especially clever ones like this, from DLK Designs. If all the boys I know would stop being silly boys, maybe I'd buy these for somebody. Be sure to check out the rest of her shop for more map-related goodness.

You don't need poltergeists for sidekicks.

Finding a new band is one of the best feelings ever. I recently discovered Mother Mother, Canadian indie rock superheroes. According to me, anyway. This song, "Ghosting," off O My Heart, is definitely worth sharing.

Why the world goes slow.

Who but Regina Spektor could pull off a gorgeous & catchy song that just so happens to contain the phrase "macaroni pieces"? Regina Spektor makes beautiful music, and she is sort of weird. If you've listened to any of her other albums in entirety, then you know both of these things. If you haven't, then this is as good a place to start as any. Far is her fifth release (her second major-label one) and boasts the same insanely catchy melodies, lovely piano and vocals, and, well, weird stories as her other work. There might be a few too many songs here but when she's good, she's good and therefore it's forgiveable. 4/5 stars.

Brought to you by the letter K...

Words would cheapen the experience, I think. Just look at this beauty. From Kent & London, who make really expensive furniture.

(found via when you were young, you were the king of carrot flowers)

Silver lining included.

I just love these. Everything at Roll & Tumble Press is pretty sharp--vintage-inspired, but still clever. I have a giant apartment with precious little artwork for the walls--tragic, I know. And if I had an unlimited budget, I would certainly have me some of these posters.

In other news, you should visit a friend's project here and read an interview I helped proof-read, given that I am an obsessive grammar wizard (and proud of it.)

Your two eyes are like two doves.

Dirty Projectors played a show here on Sunday, and I went, and they opened with this song which is perhaps the loveliest piece of music I've heard this year. "Two Doves," off their new album, Bitte Orca. Thoughtful album review coming soon, because I cannot stop listening to it.

Modern Material

Over the weekend I went to the Gahanna Jazz & Blues Festival (meh). But on the bright side, I discovered Modern Material, a Columbus-based "indie designer rock brand" which markets everything a chandelier-and-fleur-de-lis obsessed gal like me could ever want. Paper goods, apparel & accessories. Go shop!

Robot love.

In honor of the robot-related GeekFest at Wild Goose Creative, which I did not attend but wished I had, behold. Handknit robot sweater, designed by Good Egg, who must be some kind of genius. Here is a brilliant quote from her Etsy shop: "i think about the knit stitch as a pixel. look for an intersection of modern and traditional motifs and displays of dense colorwork."

This is a work of art. And it just so happens to be done in the best color combination in the world. Check out her shop for more astonishingly clever knits.

Unrelated: thanks to anyone who checked out my web project, Undefinable Need. If you looked at it early on (Wednesday or Thursday of this week), you might want to have another look because it absolutely exploded with activity. And, if you can think of anyone who might appreciate the concept, please do pass it along.

A project.

A new project of mine, documenting the un-define-able concept of "need." It lives on the internet, here. Go visit. Tell people. I would appreciate it very much!

Write this down.

I love the idea of this calendar for keeping track of birthdays. It's a "perpetual calendar": no years or specific days of the week, just dates. And the floral illustrations + offbeat lettering style for the months just makes me so, so happy. From Amy Marcella.

All the names in the world.

"Consolation No. 2"

At any given moment
there are hundreds maybe thousands
of things to ruin you
and not in subtle ways either.
You might be swept off by the wind
and no one notices. You turn a corner
and some resurrected sadness
knocks you down
(sadness is good at this). But
you might hear someone say
your name and then you know
that at any given moment
despite all the names in the world
there is someone who is only
saying yours.

Dear Frye.

Dear Frye:

There is something kind of creepy about you, because it feels like you are reading wishes directly off my soul.

Love,

Kristen

But really. In all seriousness, these boots could not be more lovely. I love the added detail on the harness and the higher angled heel that separates these from the regular harness boot (which is also a thing of beauty, don't get me wrong.)

Breaking & entering.

Found via the Perfect Binge. This is from A Softer World, where everything is brilliant and wonderful. Go here for more photo-comics. They're not funny. Not that kind of comic.

Deco.

I rent, so I have no right to daydream about home improvements. However, this dreamy wallpaper from Ferm get me started anyway.

And while we're at it, I'll take her shoes, too.

I love the blissful expressions on these darling kitties. And yes, I like my cat more than I like a lot of people--what about it? More lovely illustrations at The Dancing Cat.

nearby & neighborly.

If you haven't heard local Columbus band The Floorwalkers, you need to get to it. You can find them every Wednesday at Ruby Tuesday on Summit but this weekend is your extra-special chance to hear them sans cover charge: at the Columbus Arts Festival. Saturday, 6:45. Go!

map of the world.

Okay, so a map of the country. Anyway, I'm not sure how I got signed up for this guy's email list but I did, and it turns out I'm glad. Because Dolan Geiman has some of the neatest paper prints and I have many a bare wall that could use adorning.

shake it like a polaroid picture.

Polaroid cameras rock, let's face it. In light of this rock-ness, it's pretty sad that digital photography has taken over the photo world; Kodak ceased production of all Polaroid film production as of last year. How long will it take to deplete the global stockpile of instant-film supplies? We may not have to worry about it, thanks to the brilliant folks at The Impossible Project, an independent organization "re-inventing"the technology behind Polaroids. Science + art = swoon.

ida maria.

Think I'm a bit late on getting on the bandwagon here, but here it is. This is from Ida Maria's (say it: ee-dah. She's Norwegian!) album Fortress 'Round My Heart, which is like 35 minutes flat of bouncing around the room. Love it. She's got a great look, too -- I want that blouse.

fortune cookie fortune.

Among other things, I am obsessed with fortune cookie fortunes. I save them, because it seems like they could be a part of an amazing project at some point. Anyway, the other day I went to a Chinese restaurant with a friend and we both got the same fortune, this one here. And, in fact, it was one that I already had in my collection. This takes away some of the magic, I guess, but it's still a lovely message.

Once, I got a fortune that said, "Duplex switch stuck on." ::shrugs::

home.

portal.

tunnel.

pulp fiction.

And not the movie, either. Although I am a fan of that as well. Who knows what went wrong in my youth to make me obsessed with "hard boiled" detective stories, but something did. I'm not a collector but there are bound to be interesting characters at this convention here in C-bus, July 31 - August 2, downtown.

trouble is my business.

Reading Raymond Chandler, early stories. "The minutes went by on tiptoe, with their fingers to their lips." Anyone who disagrees with me about the genius of Raymond Chandler needs to step outside.

watching.

Diving Bell & the Butterfly home for the weekend. Among others. Will report back.

on the street where you live.

My neighborhood, coming alive Saturday, June 13. Music, art, wine tasting, home tours. There is a community yard sale on this day as well. Let's go? More here.